


On the Run

by nott_the_best1



Category: Runaways (Comics), Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: Everyone Is Gay, F/F, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Private Investigators, comic canon compliant through issue 16, gert-centric, gertchase is endgame but we have a ways until we get there, will add warnings as we go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-17 22:29:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21850732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nott_the_best1/pseuds/nott_the_best1
Summary: Gert Yorkes never thought that she would wind up on the run from being a runaway. It’s just like the first time around except she has no friends, no dinosaur, and a bunch of crazy god-children to defeat. That is until she meets Iris, an optimistic seer who has an apartment and knows where to get free bagels. Now, she has one (1) friend, no dinosaur, and a bunch of crazy god-like children to defeat. Together, can they learn how to defeat the Gibborum once and for all? What will it cost them? // Based on the comics, could probably be read as a wild AU by a fan of the tv show if you really wanted.
Relationships: Chase Stein/Gertrude Yorkes, Gertrude Yorkes/Original Female Character, Gertrude Yorkes/Victor Mancha
Kudos: 5
Collections: Runaways Big Bang 2019





	1. won't stop running

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an idea that I've been playing around with for over a year now, and I'm so excited to share it with you! This is strongly based on the comics, but you don’t need to have read the comics to read this, although comics are awesome and you should read them. I’ll be referencing specific issues when they come up. If you haven't read them or need a refresher, here’s all you need to know:
> 
> The Gibborum were gods, intent on destroying all of humanity using the assistance and crimes of the organization called Pride. The Pride’s children defeated these gods and killed their parents. Some time later, Gert dumps Chase because Nico kissed him. Gert sacrifices her life for Chase. Two years later, Chase uses a time machine to try to stop her death from ever happening, but shows up late so he takes her dying body, goes back to the future, and Nico heals her. Things are a little weird, Gert feels out of place so she dyes her hair back to brown and dates the severed head of a cyborg named Victor for like two days, but by this point, he has a body again so forget the part about him being a severed head. Alex Wilder comes back from the dead and tells them the children of the Gibborum are coming and they’re mad humanity hasn’t been destroyed yet. Victor tells Gert to go back and live the time she's lost while finding a solution for them, and this fic is my take on what would have happened if she'd agreed.

_"And I know that life is what you make it_  
_But it's hard to see stars when you're always caught in the folds"_  
_-A Great Big World_

Gert took one last look at Victor, and she knew nothing would ever be the same once she pressed the button on the time machine remote in her hands. It would summon an _actual_ time machine, which would send her back to the night Chase grabbed her from: the night she died. She’d be completely on her own, unable to make contact with any of her friends for over two years. A part of her longed to say goodbye, to hug Molly one last time, but she knew it would be too difficult. She needed to go. Victor could explain everything after. Besides, ideally, she’d be making her re-entrance into their lives in just a few minutes from their perspective. 

She hesitated. “I’m not so sure about this.” 

“This is our best option,” Victor responded. “This is the only option we have left; the only chance we have at surviving, at saving humanity.” 

She bit her lip. “Two years… It’s a long time.” 

“I know. But I know you can figure it all out. I wouldn’t be telling you to go if I wasn’t confident in your abilities and resourcefulness. But… in the end, it’s your choice, Gert, not mine. You’re the only one who can make this kind of decision.” 

She sighed. “You’re right. I know you’re right. This is our best option right now… I have to do this.” 

He gave her a small smile. “I believe in you. But one last thing-” He looked down.

“What?” 

“Obviously, the main goal is to take down the Gibborim. But remember to live a little, too, okay? This time… it was time that was stolen from you, and it’s yours to spend and enjoy and _live_ , okay? I don’t… We don’t know what’s going to happen, and we might still die anyways, so please just try to enjoy these two years, however you can.” 

“I have to go.” He nodded, and she raised a hand to his cheek. “I’ll be back soon.” All he did was nod. She knew what he wanted to say. There was a large possibility that she was on a death mission, never to return. Even if she did come back, she wouldn’t be the same person. If her and Chase’s relationship couldn’t survive, even if the circumstances were different, how could her and Victor’s stand a chance? Compared to what she had with Chase, they were just some kids playing boyfriend and girlfriend on the playground during recess.

She pressed one last kiss to his lips and took a step back.

\---

Time travel made her stomach feel all twisted. She hadn’t noticed it last time, probably because of all the dying. But, now, suddenly, she was standing in the exact same spot in the hostel. Except the date was June 29th, 2016 - the night she’d died. Her body ached with the nostalgia of being back here, in the Hostel, in the same exact state of disarray that she left it. The half-eaten pizza on the coffee table. That stupid cheesy _Empty Nester_ mug Chase had bought on clearance next to it. If she were to go up to her bedroom, she knew precisely how it would look. A part of her wanted to go, to walk through the Hostel one last time, and to say goodbye to this part of her life for the next two and a half years or so, but she knew that it was too risky. They could be back any minute. 

She took one last glance at her home and started through the woods. She didn’t know where she was going. She’d have to find somewhere to squat out for the night and figure it out tomorrow. It was more difficult now that she couldn’t go to any of the places she used to frequent. She heard movement and ducked behind a bush for cover. It was dark. As long as she didn’t move, she was fine.

“Wait. Wait, Nico- We have to go back! We have to go back- Gert told me once that Jewish people are supposed to be buried. We have to- Please, Nico-” Molly pleaded, and Gert’s heart broke. She wanted to wrap her arms and tell her that it was alright, that there was no body to go back for because 2018 Chase removed it - her - from the timeline. She wanted to hold her and tell her that she would see her again and that she loves her so, so much. 

“Mol, we can’t. It’s too dangerous. Gert would understand,” Nico told her softly. 

“No, we have to-” 

“Molly!” Nico snapped. Molly grunted and started running. “Wait-” she said weakly. “I didn’t mean-” 

Victor put a hand on her shoulder. “She’s grieving.” 

Nico swatted his hand away. “No shit, Sherlock.” She took off after Molly, and Victor took off after Nico. 

That just left two - Chase and Old Lace. They lingered behind the rest. Chase clutched Old Lace as if without her, he would collapse. He probably would. 

It had hurt to see her friends two years older, wiser, and well-adjusted to life without her. But in all of her own pain and fear and confusion, she didn’t realize that this came first. She was content believing that she was insignificant. That her life didn’t matter to anyone. But she didn’t consider that getting to a stable place took time. If you could consider their state in 2018 as stable. 

As she crouched behind that bush, considering ripping a hole in time and risking the multiverse and all of time itself collapsing in on itself, not to mention all of her friends’ lives, just to take away some of her ex-boyfriend’s pain, she realized that she never considering what 2018 Chase had risked coming back for her. His intention was not to bring her into the future but to stop her from dying in the first place. He was trying to create a paradox, to rip a hole in his own timeline, and to erase the person he was in 2018 from existence. It was stupid and selfish and, in some ways, suicidal. But so very, very Chase Stein. She told herself that he was different. In some ways, he most certainly was: he had more facial hair, he drank coffee, he was more guarded. But fundamentally, he was the same. 

She closed her eyes as she suppressed all of her regrets and all of her desires. _Take good care of him, Lace._ She opened her eyes and saw Old Lace staring at her. Luckily, Chase was oblivious. _No, no. Don’t look at me._ She did as asked. _I’m not here. I’ll be back one day, girl. I’ll miss you. But until then, I’m dead._ She held herself as she waited for him to pass. A few minutes later, she could no longer hear movement. They were gone. She was alone. 

She felt her tense body relax and she gasped a ragged breath. What was she doing? What kind of idiotic plan was this? There had to be a better way to fight the Gibborum’s children than her leaving her friends - her _family_ . She pulled the remote from her pocket. She didn’t imagine her trip to 2016 being this short-lived, but at least she wouldn’t need to live through Donald Drumpf’s election. She pressed the button to summon the time machine, but nothing happened. A red “ERROR” flashed across the dialog screen. Her heartbeat quickened as she tried again and again, then resorting to pressing all of the _other_ buttons - but it was no use. She was stuck. She was stuck in 2016 with nothing. No friends, no family, no dinosaur, nothing but a vague mission to kill some gods. What could possibly go wrong? 

***

The first few days were difficult - more difficult than she was willing to confess. She was exhausted and hungry and still hadn’t found a safe, reliable place to hunker down. Dumpster diving helped with the hunger, but she didn’t know this area of town well enough yet to know all of the decent spots. She pulled her hood tight around her face and took off her glasses as she sat down against a concrete wall. Between that and her brown hair, she ideally should not be spotted by anyone she knew if she rested for a few-

Someone grabbed her hand. Gert’s astigmatism meant she could not see the woman completely clearly, but she didn’t think she recognized her. She snatched her hand away. “Don’t touch me.” 

“Gertrude Yorkes. I can’t believe it’s you.” 

Gert’s body tensed up as she rushed to push on her glasses. Even with perfect vision, Gert didn’t recognize her. She wasn’t a woman, but a teenager, about the same age as Gert by the looks of it. She had an olive skin tone and black hair pulled into a large updo and tied with a scarf. “Who are you?” Gert demanded.

“Relax, relax. I’ve been waiting for you. I wasn’t sure it was you, that’s why I took your hand, to make sure, but, wow-” 

Gert tried to scoot away from the girl, forgetting she was up against the side of a building. “You didn’t answer my question. Who are you? How do you know me? How did-” 

“My name is Iris. It’s very nice to meet you. May I sit? As a peace offering, I have an extra bagel from the shop on the corner. It’s run by a Jewish family, so you know it’s good.” 

Gert’s heart raced with apprehension, but her stomach growled and she hadn’t had a decent bagel since… since she became a runaway, probably. And she figured that whatever she said, Iris was going to harass her anyways. “Fine, whatever.” 

Iris set down the sign and rolled-up beaten carpet that had been clutched under her arm and sat down. Gert could clearly read it now: the sign read _Tarot Reading $5 Palm Reading $1._

“I don’t have any money.” 

Iris laughed. “Yeah, I know. I don’t even need psychic powers to figure that one out.” She opened her backpack and pulled out a paper bag. She handed Gert a bagel. “Sorry, I don’t have cream cheese or anything to eat with it. It’s also not as good as the ones back home, but… well, New York City is a long ways away so I guess I’ll have to settle.” 

Gert took the bagel and had to physically restrain herself from swallowing it whole. “You’re from New York?” 

Iris nodded. “Just outside of it, at least. My dad owned a shop in the city, so I pretty much spent every weekend and holiday there.” Iris held her bagel in front of her. “You know, they’re supposed to signify life eternal. No beginning and no end. A circle. Do you believe in eternal life?” 

“I believe in its life-sustaining powers as a delicious piece of food,” Gert replied as she chewed on her bagel. It was tough - definitely not fresh - but sure as hell beat the processed wet cardboard they sell at Ralphs. “Aren’t I the one who’s supposed to be asking the questions here?” 

“Are you the one with the bagels?” Gert raised an eyebrow. “Fine. Look, I’m just saying, what’s death when you have a time machine?” 

Gert’s anxiety levels kicked up a notch, but she suspected that was Iris’ goal. She wanted Gert to truly know who she was dealing with. She wanted to flaunt her power in this situation. “We only just met and you’re trying to use me for my time machine? I’m hurt.” She put a hand to her chest and frowned. “Besides, time machine’s broken. I guess we’ll all finally just have to face our mortality now.” 

“Don’t worry. I don’t care about your time machine- I have no need for it. I’m not looking to be your companion, Doctor.” 

Gert bit back a grin. “What are you looking for, then?” 

Iris repositioned herself. “How about this: I’ll do my best to answer any question you have _if_ you let me read your palm.” 

Gert sighed. This chick obviously already knew way too much about her, and it was probably best not to make an enemy that powerful her third day on the run. “Deal.” She stuck out her hand. 

Iris cupped both her hands around Gert’s extended palm and closed her eyes. “Relax.” 

Suddenly, Gert really regretted agreeing to this. “I- I don’t know too much about all this psychic business, but I know how to read lifelines and that’s not- I mean, I think you’re doing this a little wrong? I-” 

Iris opened her eyes. “I can’t get a full read if you don’t let me. Don’t worry, I can’t hurt you. Just take a deep breath and _relax_.” 

Gert did her best, and it must have been enough because a few moments later Iris opened her eyes again and nodded. “Okay, first question: What the hell was that?” 

Iris sighed. “I’m a seer, of sorts. A soothsayer, if you want to get all Old English about it. An _adivinadora_ if you’re my _abuela_.” She ripped a piece off of her bagel and gave a small smile. “When I touch people - that sounded weird, you know what I mean - I can see their timeline. Their past, their future. Usually, a lot of futures. Time is pretty fluid, I think you know enough about that. I’ve seen you in a lot of timelines, Gert Yorkes. You’re… You’re remarkable.” 

Gert rolled her eyes. “No, no, no. Wipe that smile off your face. I haven’t done anything yet, and I probably never will.” 

“But you _can_. That’s what the future means! And I want to help. You can do this, Gert, but you can’t do it alone.” 

“What happens? If I don’t accept your help. Or if I do…?” 

“I- I can’t tell you that. I can’t tell you anything about your future. Partially because it’s fluid and partially because… well, you only make that mistake once.” Iris looked down. Her grin had disappeared. 

“Fine. How can you possibly help me?” 

The grin was back. Gert couldn’t tell if she was getting sick of it or if she was getting used to it. “Well, I have an apartment. I mean, not to take you home on the first date or anything, but you look like you need some rest. And a shower. No offense.” 

Gert crossed her arms. “Why would that be offensive?” 

“And, after that, well, I’ve got lots of connections throughout Los Angeles, and I only deal with the kind of people who get their hands dirty with the supernatural. And the kind of people who give hungry kids day-old bagels instead of throwing them away, but _anyways_. I can help you try to track down someone who can help you figure out how to defeat the Gibborum. And then we’ll go from there!” Iris rambled excitedly, and Gert was almost too exhausted to keep up. Iris was right: she needed a place to rest. And it would be nice to have someone in her corner. But she still didn’t know if she could trust this girl. 

“Okay. One last question: how did you get your powers?” 

Iris bit her lip. “An amulet, it’s been passed down in my family to every first-born daughter since the beginning of time, basically. Or the beginning of the millennium, as the oral history goes. The last millennium, I mean. That’s why I was the one to finally activate its curse, according to my _abuela_ . Because I was born at exactly midnight at the turn of the millennium. So, the story was that the amulet holds both great power and a terrible curse, but my _abuela_ was the only one who actually believed it. My mom and my aunts thought she was just being a stereotypical superstitious old Ecuadorian woman, but my _abuela_ was right.” 

“What happens if you take the amulet off?” 

“Nothing. The curse is mine now, I think. The amulet was just used to transfer it. It’s weird, though. Every time I try to get rid of it, it finds its way back to me. Like a ouija board in some weird horror movie. I eventually gave up trying to part with it.” 

“Why did you leave New York?” 

Iris tensed a bit but then relaxed. “Didn’t you say it was your last question like 3 questions ago?” 

Gert cocked her head. “Didn’t you say you’d answer all of my questions?” 

“I said I’d try. I can’t give you that answer.” 

“You know literally everything there is to know about me,” Gert argued. 

“And? There are some things that you just don’t ask people to say out loud.” Gert could see that Iris was getting defensive. 

“You’re right. I’m sorry for pushing. Is that shower still on the table?” 

Iris had a steeled expression - the smile had vanished as soon as she had started talking about her history on the east coast. “Of course,” she said, standing. “Follow me.”


	2. breathe (2 am)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iris tries to get Gert to open up and Gert witnesses something she was never meant to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of this chapter is lifted directly from the comics (most of the dialogue between the Gibborim and the Runaways and the Gibborim throwing the Runaways around) specifically volume 2, issue #24. I don't own any of that! 
> 
> Sorry this is a little late, the holidays got the better of me. I'm going to try to be more regular about updating. I also FINALLY got around to watching the new season (binged almost the whole thing today) and all I have to say is - you change SO MUCH from the comics, and THAT is what you chose to keep? The final episode did feel like a bit of a love letter to the comic book fans, though <3

_"'Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable  
And life's like an hourglass glued to the table"  
-Anna Nalick_

“So, are you finally going to let me in on your adventure?” 

Gert looked down at her cereal but didn’t say anything. 

“Come on! You’ll accept my milk, but you won’t accept my help? This is absurd.” 

Gert sighed. “I’m going to pay you back. Once I-” 

“I don’t want you to pay me back! I want to help!” 

Gert thought about the copy of the Abstract weighing down her backpack. She’d spent two full days searching Molly’s old house for it, but at last she found it. She’d come across the decoder ring while she was rummaging through the Hostel a few days before she’d left, but the moment she suggested looking for one of the copies of the Abstract, the idea was shot down immediately, saying there was nothing of use to be found in there. She kind of understood it - messing with the Abstract is what allowed Geoffrey Wilder to be brought into 2016 and subsequently murder her - but wasn’t it worth looking into? “I know you want to, but… I just can’t drag you into this. It’s not your fight. I don’t want you getting hurt. You’ve already done so much for me.” 

“I can handle myself.” 

“I know you can, but so can I. I’ve got this,” she reiterated, taking her bowl to the sink and rinsing it out. “I’ll see you tonight, okay? I’ve got to run. Thanks for everything.” 

“Sure, whatever,” Iris mumbled. 

Gert didn’t want to leave things like that, but she also didn’t want to answer any more questions. She’d stayed up almost the whole night decoding the Abstract, with no mention of the Gibborim’s children anywhere thus far, but she still had about half to decode. She took off and down the street towards the local public library. There, she could find some corner to crawl into, and get back to work. 

Several hours later, Gert was still no closer to finding out any information about the Gibborim’s children. To be fair, there was hardly any mention of the Pride’s children, either. Only events that they were both directly involved with. The only useful piece of information that she found was the Gibborim’s current location - and how to get there. Clearly, in 2018, the Gibborim were gone - off in some death dimension where they were pestered by one Alex Wilder. But in order for Geoffrey to have attempted to sacrifice any of the Runaways for his gods, they must have been somewhere else. This shadow dimension, apparently. And she knew just how to get there. 

She packed up her things and headed back to the apartment. Before she was able to confront any gods about their children, she needed a shower, some food, and a nap. When she returned, Iris was sprawled on the couch, typing furiously into her laptop. 

“Whatcha up to?” she asked. 

Iris’ eyes flickered up to her. “Wouldn’t you like to know.” Gert rolled her eyes. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours?” 

Gert scoffed. “Don’t you already know what I’m doing?” 

“I’m not omniscient. And, to be terribly honest, I have a horrible memory. So, please, enlighten me.” 

Gert sat down on the other side of the couch. “I found the Abstract - this big book of the Gibborim - and the Pride - essentially. I found a way to visit their mirror dimension. I’m hoping I can get some answers there.” 

“Sounds dangerous. I’m in.” Iris grinned and shut her laptop. 

“No, you’re not. This is a solo act, dude. I’ve already told you. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but I can’t let you get hurt getting caught in my mess. So, what have you been up to?” 

Iris glowered, but didn’t push. “Oh, you know. Typical run-of-the-mill haunting. Apparently there’s a ghost in a restaurant a few blocks over, and the new owners are having a hard time getting and keeping customers. I’m trying to find the last owners so I can figure out who the ghost is - why they’re there, why they’re stuck, what they need.” 

Gert nodded. “Do you do this a lot? Get hired by local business owners to solve their supernatural problems?” 

Iris shrugged. “Sure. Local business owners, soccer moms, millennial hippies, you name it. You could help, you know. We could do it together. Once you’re done with the Gibborim.” 

Gert looked down. “Oh, I don’t- I don’t know. I don’t think I’d be of much help. I mean, I don’t have any powers, I don’t even have a dinosaur. I-” She caught herself before admitting how in over her head she felt on her own. “I would only get in your way.” 

“Come on! Doing things on a team is always more fun. Anyways, you’re brilliant, you’re charismatic, you’re resourceful. I mean, you’re figuring out this weird god thing, right? I would love to be a duo! We could be, like, supernatural PIs!” 

“I’m pretty sure there’s some long involved process to being able to call yourself a PI, let alone make money from it. And, I don’t know if you realized this, but I’m kind of trying to keep a low profile here, seeing as there are a bunch of people across this city who think I’m dead.” 

“Who are you, a cop? You can take a fake name and a mask. Come on, just think about it.” 

Gert sighed. “Fine, I’ll think about it.” Iris lit up. “I’m going to go get ready for tonight.” Gert was conflicted. Iris’ idea appealed to her, and it would be a nice way to start to pay Iris back for all that she’s done, but Gert also felt like accepting the offer meant accepting that it would be over two years before she saw her friends again. In her head, she imagined figuring out what to do about the Gibborim, fixing the time machine, and heading back 2018, pushing all of this behind her. But this… this meant she was staying, at least for the time being, and she was not ready to acknowledge that. 

* * *

As Gert approached the location indicated in the Abstract, she almost wished she’d allowed Iris to join her. It wasn’t too late - Iris insisted that Gert could text her for backup at any point - but this, ironically, was a matter of pride now. Gert whispered the incantation and a swirling red portal opened in front of her. She stepped into a world much different than the one she left and closed the portal behind her. The city was tinted a deep red, like she was inside a room with mood lighting, but she could tell she was outside. Jagged stairs and jutting small huts surrounded her. And in front of her: three gigantic, towering beings. The Gibborim. 

“ **GERTRUDE YORKES, INTERESTING MEETING YOU HERE** ,” one of them spoke. 

“Didn’t think you’d see me again?” 

“ **A YOUNG MAN SEEMS VERY INTENT ON BRINGING YOU BACK FROM THE DEAD, CHILD.** ” 

Her stomach twisted. “Chase? He- He was here?” 

“ **AND WE EXPECT HIM TO RETURN RATHER SOON, WITH A SACRIFICE.** " 

“A what? Sorry to disappoint, but he would never do something like that.” After everything they went through with their parents, after everything they went through with _her_ dying… Chase would never do that, no matter how desperate. She couldn’t even imagine- The sound of a voice invoking the same incantation she just had echoed through the air. 

“ **GRIEF CAN CAUSE THE UNIMAGINABLE.** " 

Gert’s stomach dropped as she ran up the nearest staircase and into one of the strange huts. It was a small, just one room, and completely unfurnished. Did the Gibborim just place them there for the aesthetic? Through gaps in the wood, she could see out onto the Gibborim and the space in front of them. Chase stood there with Old Lace, holding… Nico’s staff? No sacrifice, though, so that was a bit of a relief. 

“Let’s get this over with,” she heard him mutter. 

“ **YOU TRY OUR PATIENCE, MORTAL. WITHOUT AN INNOCENT SOUL TO NOURISH US, THE GIBBORIM CAN ONLY CLING TO LIMBO FOR MERE _MINUTES_ MORE.**" 

Gert’s anxiety levels picked back up again. Minutes? Did this interruption mean that she was about to lose her one and only chance at finding out more about the children? Come on, Chase. Just pick up your pride and go home. Go to bed. One day, this will all be over… 

“Keep your toga on, Hightower. If you’re still willing to bring my girlfriend back to life, I’ve _got_ your damn human sacrifice.” 

Gert’s eyes darted around. Her view might have been obstructed, but she truly didn’t think anyone else was with him. That meant- 

“We don’t _want_ Gert back, Chase. Not if it means losing you.” 

“Oh, Chase,” Gert whispered under her breath. 

“Nico, _no_!” he shouted. “You’ve gotta get out of here!” 

Nico was giving orders, but Gert could hear Chase’s shaky voice dictate a bit more quietly, “Get ‘em away from me, O.L. I don’t want to have to hurt somebody.” 

Old Lace ran down the stairs towards the other Runaways. Gert cursed under her breath. She couldn’t tell O.L. what to do; she couldn’t interfere, but she also couldn’t ignore that the dinosaur must detect her presence. _You have to take care of him, girl,_ she thought. _He needs you._

Old Lace stopped about ten feet in front of Karolina. She was standing there, head tilted, hands her pockets, just chatting with Old Lace. As she went in for a neck rub, Chase directed Nico’s staff. They weren’t even looking at him. Red tendrils of energy wrapped around Nico’s body and lifted her from the ground. Gert doubted that Chase even knew what he was doing.

“What are you-” Nico choked. 

“YEAH, PRETTY SOON, I'LL JUST BE A BAD DREAM,” he cast. Nico immediately passed out in the staff’s grasp and was lowered back to the ground. “Just forget about me!” 

“You know we can’t do that,” Karolina called back. 

“Well, you _will_ , Karolina, whether you want to or not.” What did that even mean? Unless- “I’m begging you, just go back to the Hostel, before you lose _your_ girlfriend, too.” 

For a second, Gert thought he was talking about Nico. She was a bit embarrassed to admit that in 2018, she’d nearly forgotten that Xavin had even existed. What happened to them? 

“ **UNCLEAN WRETCH! EARTH IS A SACRED TEMPLE! WHAT GIVES AN OUTSIDER LIKE YOU THE RIGHT TO SULLY OUR HOLY FATHER'S PLANET?** " 

“I’m afraid your words are lost on me,” Xavin replied. “Where I come from, we find religion obscenely boring.” Gert fought the urge to snap in agreement. She hadn’t gotten the chance to get to know Xavin, and the times that they were in each other’s presence were always tense, but she was pretty sure that they would have gotten on well at the end of the day. 

“ **THEN YOU SHALL KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO _TRULY_ BURN.**"

With that, one of the god-like figures blasted them with fire-y energy. Karolina cried out as she, too, was hit with a blast of energy. What was happening? Did she screw something up somehow? Had this always happened? Should she-

“Stop it!” Chase shouted. “If you hurt anyone else, our deal is off!” 

“ **WE NEED OUR OFFERING _NOW_ , CHASE STEIN.**" 

“It’s _me_ , alright! I’m giving you _my_ soul!” 

Gert let out a ragged gasp. She knew it was coming but… she figured Nico and Karolina would have subdued him by now. She felt like she should do something, but all she could do was cower in the shadows. 

“ **THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE** **.** ” Gert released a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. 

“What? But… I’m innocent. I know I am.” His voice was softer, audibly hurt by the Gibborim’s rejection. If she were any farther, she doubted she would have been able to make out what he said at all. Gert pressed a hand over her mouth to stifle any audible reactions. She could feel her heart breaking for Chase. She didn’t realize how painful this would be: watching someone else’s grief, watching someone she _loved_ grieve _her_. Now that she was unable, she felt as if she had so much to say to him. She wanted to ease his insecurities, as he had eased hers. She wanted to love him and care for him in the way he deserved - and in the way his family never had. 

_Oh, Chase. The universe really is out to get you._ She wanted him to understand how strong he was, how resilient. How he could survive all of this - his parents, the Pride, her death, and everything between then and 2018 that no one ever wanted to talk about - and still come out a generally hopeful person. She wanted him to know that he would survive this. 

Well, if he survived the next few minutes. 

“ **PERHAPS, BUT YOU WOULD NO LONGER BE IF YOU DELIBERATELY CHOSE TO FORFEIT YOUR OWN LIFE. OUR SACRIFICE MUST BE AN UNWILLING PARTICIPANT IN ORDER FOR THEIR BLOOD TO NOURISH THE GIBBORIM... A SACRIFICE LIKE THE MINORU GIRL.** " 

“Over my dead fucking body.” 

“ **AS YOU WISH.** ”

The Gibborum flung Chase through the air and swept up Nico’s body in one fell swoop. She stifled a cry as his body hit the ground with a sickening thud. 

All of the Gibborum’s attention was on Nico. “ **AT LAST, WE SUP ON MORE THAN THE ETHEREAL SPIRITS ONCE GIVEN US BY THE PRIDE.** " He lifted her closer to his face. “ **TONIGHT WE FEAST ON FLESH AND BLOOD.** " 

“Gross!” Gert could hear Molly’s voice, but couldn’t see her. “Put her down, you sicko. And not, like, down your throat.” 

“Oh… oh my holy crap,” a familiar voice said. 

“First time meeting a god, Victor?” Gert muttered almost inaudibly. 

“Keep it together, dorkbot!” Molly ordered. “Just give them some of your blue and crackly!” All of this time without his original body, Gert had forgotten about his powers. 

Blue lightning bolts bounced off of the giant’s cheeks, but he didn’t even flinch. “ **NO MACHINE CAN BEST US. OUR TIME IN THIS REALM GROWS SHORT. LEAVE US TO COMPLETE THE RITE OF VORTEX IN PEACE, LEST WE CONSUME YOU ALL.** " 

All of a sudden, Victor screamed as he was hurled through the air, knocking Nico out of the Gibborim’s grasp. They both landed on top of one of the huts. Victor was cradling Nico in his arms, and Gert looked away before he could lean down to kiss her. “What the fuck?” she whispered. 

“ **NO! YOU'VE KILLED US!** ” The Gibborim lamented before being sucked into nothingness. 

Everything in the shadow dimension went still and Gert could feel heart racing. Her only lead just vanished, and the sum of all of the people in the world that mattered to her were sitting all around her, scattered and broken. And they didn’t even know she was there. They couldn’t. They thought she was dead. She _was_ dead. She wanted to ease their suffering, she wanted desperately to help, but there was no telling what that kind of interference with the timeline would do. It took all of her energy to hold herself back and she sat and watched them, waiting for everything to pass and them to leave. She couldn’t help them, not these versions of them. The versions of them in the future, in 2018, those were the friends that she could help. And she would, even without any leads. There were no other options. 

Chase sat down at the edge of a rock about fifty feet away from her. She couldn’t see his face, but it sounded like he was crying. Karolina came up behind him. “I’m sorry,” she offered softly. 

“Yeah. Me, too.” He paused. “Remember the first year we all got together, K? When we hid in Alex’s basement and watched R-rated movies on cable, and Gert told us what all the dirty words meant, even though she was wrong half the time?” Her lip trembled at the memory. She wasn’t sure she was holding back a laugh or a sob, but she wrapped her arms around herself. It was such a silly thought to hurt so much, but she knew what was going through Chase’s mind. He was replaying all of the memories, wishing that he could just relive those moments instead of the reality he was living. Playing all of it in his head and wondering where everything went wrong. _Why_ everything went wrong. She knew, because she’d been doing the same thing for the past three months. “Why can’t it still be like that? How come we didn’t get to have crazy-long childhoods like every other spoiled brat in this country?” 

Karolina took a moment. “Gert used to say that kids spend their lives wanting to be adults, and adults spend their lives wanting to be kids.” 

“Hn. What do you think Gert wanted?” 

She thought about it for a moment. She felt like they were in this weird in-between. Not kids, not adults. Not really anything at all. 

“I don’t know. She just spent her life living.” 

Did she? She definitely tried to come off that way before she died, even if she didn’t feel it all of the time. But what about after? What about now? Moping and researching while pushing away the one person that could see her and tell her she wanted her in her life? Was she really living? 

Chase and Karolina sat for a few minutes in a comfortable silence. Finally, they stood up and left to rejoin the team. Gert wasn’t sure how long she had been waiting, but she couldn’t risk going back too early and crossing paths with any of the Runaways, even if it was probably dark by now and she was wearing a hoodie. Finally, when she couldn’t bear to wait any longer, she reopened the portal and returned to her world. She stepped through and stood for a moment, waiting. There was no one else in eyesight or earshot. She stumbled forward and fell to her knees, clutching the dirt in her fingers. She released a restrained sob, panting as the cool LA evening air seeped under her skin. How had this night gone so horribly wrong? She left Iris’ apartment confident that she’d finally found something, and she was going to demand the answers that she so desperately wanted. She realized now how stupid that had been, even without Chase’s intervention. Now, she had nothing. No leads, nowhere to go to look for them. It was just her and the world and these unanswerable questions. The only thing she did know that she didn’t a few hours ago was why everyone was so against searching the Abstract for answers - evidently, Chase had poured through it enough in the days following her death to try to execute this reckless plan to bring her back. 

She took a deep breath and pulled herself together and off of the ground. She didn’t remember the trip back to Iris’ apartment. She walked through the door still in a daze, but snapped out of it when she saw Iris sitting on the couch. 

“Were you… waiting for me?” Gert’s eyes felt sore. Had she been crying?

Iris shrugged. “I was worried.” She picked up the blanket that lived on the couch brought it over to the doorway. Gert pulled off the sweatshirt and pulled the blanket tight around her shoulders and allowing Iris to guide her to the couch. “What happened?” she asked softly. 

Gert took a deep breath. She barely choked out an “I-” before breaking into tears. Everything she held back in the shadow dimension, when she exited the portal, on the trek back to the apartment, all came spilling out of her. Iris wrapped her arms around her and held her as she cried. After the tears had subsided, they sat like that for a few minutes in silence until Gert finally felt ready to speak. “The whole idea was so dumb. And dangerous. I got there, and I was talking to them, and then… Chase showed up.” Iris’ eyes widened. “No one saw me. I hid, but… I saw them. Chase, he was…” She tried to gather her thoughts. “He tried to offer himself to the Gibborim in exchange for my life. I just- Doesn’t he understand the point of a sacrifice? You don’t just get to sacrifice yourself back!” 

“Really? You’re mad because he tried to sacrifice himself for you?” 

“Yes! No. I don’t know.” 

“Well… Now you understand all of the things that he felt. Or, is feeling, I guess. The difference is you know that one day, you’ll see him again. He doesn’t.” 

Gert avoided eye contact and stayed silent for a moment. “I just miss my best friend. When I came back, we were just so far apart. I was the same and he wasn’t. I mean, not fundamentally as a person. I think that underneath everything, no one ever really changes. But on the surface… people don’t just go through what he’s gone through and come out the same person. And maybe in 2018 I could ignore it because I’d been gone for so long already, but now… now it’s just right in front of me how much losing me fucked him up.” Her voice broke. “And it just kills me to think that he’s out there, alone, hurting… and it’s because of me.” 

“You can’t really blame yourself for this.” 

She shook her head. “It’s not about blame.”

“What are you going to do now?” 

Gert sighed. “I’m stuck here. For now, at least. And I need to keep looking for answers and work on fixing the time machine, but I owe it to them - I owe it to myself - to keep living.” 

“What does that mean?” 

“I mean, I’m in. And you’re in. We’re a team now.” 

Iris smiled, and Gert could tell that she was trying to restrain her excitement due to the somberness of the conversation. “Awesome! In that case, I will brief you in the morning. But for now…” She got up and walked the few feet to the kitchen. “I bought ice cream. And wine. Now, pick out a movie, we’re moping.” 

“So, did you know how this was going to end badly because of your powers or because you just had that little faith in me?” She asked half-jokingly. 

“Excuse me, but ice cream and wine are very versatile food items. They can also be used to celebrate. Here, watch.” She poured out two mugs (they didn’t own any glasses, and they were the only things clean) of wine and handed one to Gert. She raised her own to eye level. “To being a team. Finally, I can get some goddamn help around here.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments & kudos are always appreciated! Remember to check out the other Runaways Big Bang fics :) Huge shout out to my pals in the Big Bang discord, y'all keep me going! 
> 
> Say hi to me on tumblr! @bigertyorkes
> 
> Here's a spotify gertchase playlist that I made, but also with some songs related directly to this fic: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6Mw6c75XQmUn1S3gCWEfyv?si=6HF5bBsxS-O1wRkQDey8kA


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